User blog:LB
World War II started the Golden Age of armored warfare, with massive waves of tanks charging towards each other, shells flying, tanks burning. Many famous tank models were made during these six years of war. Some became more famous than others, and some become synonomous with the war themselves. Some tanks, ones that recieve some kind of name anyway, go down in history as that ''tank. Though sometimes, the crew is way more well-known than the tank. Today we have to examples of that. On this side, we have the Sherman Easy Eight ''Fury, the main tank from the movie of the same name, as well as it's famous crew. On the other side, we have Tiger "205", the infamous tank from the Tiger Ace Campaign of Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor, along side the infamous, fear-spreading crew of men who operate her. It's an armoured clash that no one will ever forget, but when both tanks are burning, and the crews are mostly dead, which one will emerge as the Deadliest Warrior?! Fury (Fury) The Crew of the Sherman M4A3E8 Easy Eight Fury are veterans, and have been fighting alongside each other since the North African Campaign. They survived everything together... until an armored battle with equally grizzled German Panzermen. When the smoke clears, almost every tank that had taken part is on fire and burning... almost every tank. Fury then slowly comes to life, shuffling it's way back to camp. There, after the death of their long-time assistant-driver 'Red,' they recieve someone that they immediately doubt as a replacement... Army Typist Norman Ellison. Crew Weapons |-| Mid Range = M1A1 Thompson *Weight: 10.6 lbs *Cartridge: .45 ACP *Rate of Fire: 700 rpm *Muzzle Velocity: 935 ft/s *Feed System: 30-round magazine |-| Sidearms = Colt M1917 (Used by Wardaddy) *Weight: 2.5 lbs *Cartridge: .45 ACP *Muzzle Velocity: 760 ft/s *Feed System: 6-round Cylinder Colt M1911 (Used by everyone else) *Weight: 2.44 lbs *Cartridge: .45 ACP *Muzzle Velocity: 825 ft/s *Feed System: 7-round magazine |-| Explosive = Mk2 Grenade *Weight: 1 lb 5 oz *Filling: TNT *Fuse: 5 sec Crew |-| Commander = Staff Sergeant Don 'Wardaddy' Collier Staff Sergeant Don 'Wardaddy' Collier is the Commander of the Medium Tank Fury. Hardened and grizzled, he is not a hero, but an anti-hero character. He is shown to be a fairly brutal fighter, particulary in melee, when he leaps off a tank and brutally stabs a German officer in the eye multiple times. He is also shown to have no love for Germans, and a massive hatred for the SS, as when he forces Norman to shoot a captured German Artilleryman by forcing the gun into his hand and making his hand pull the trigger. However, his relationship with Norman warms until they have a father-son relationship. During the Crews last stand against a reinforced SS Company, Wardaddy is the last one killed, being shot by a sniper 3 times in the chest, before being killed by two grenades dropped into the tank. |-| Gunner = T/5 Boyd "Bible" Swan Technician Fifth Grade Boyd 'Bible' Swan is the Gunner of the Medium Tank Fury. Also hardened and grizzled, he is the tank's bible thumper. He is an Episcopalian who was studying to become a preacher before being drafted into the war effort. When a German Artillery barrage half-demolishes a town square, and Norman tries to pull some dead from the rubble, Swan pulls him back asking him why he thinks he has the power to bring the dead back. During the Crew's last stand, Bible is the second-to-last person killed, shot through the eye by a German Sniper. |-| Driver = Corporal Trini "Gorod" Garcia Corporal Trini 'Gordo' Garcia is the Driver of the Medium Tank Fury. Hardened and grizzled, he is the tanks rude and angry member. Formerly a butcher in Chicago, Garcia started the war in Africa sober, and ended it in Europe as an angry drunkard. Garcia is the only crew member who is continuously rude to Norman throughout the movie, though in the crew's last stand, he is killed second and Garcia redeems himself as a good guy. Garcia grabs a grenade and rises up through his hatch to toss the grenade. He is shot, and the grenade tumbles back into the tank. He then grabs the grenade and absorbs the explosion with his body. |-| Loader = Private First Class Grady "Coon-Ass" Travis Private First Class Grady 'Coon-Ass' Travis is the Loader of the Medium Tank Fury. He is the angry, half-loony member of the team that fills the 'insane' character roll. Out of the characters, he isnt' the meanest, but he is the coldest, showing not to really care a lot. When they share dinner with a German Aunt and her niece, he does go and lick the eggs of the niece, but Wardaddy ends up giving the niece his and eating hers. He redeems himself also, during the last stand. He is the first crew member killed, when a Panzerfaust rocket tears through the tanks armor... and through his chest.... |-| Assistant Driver = Private Norman "Machine" Ellison Private Norman 'Machine' Ellison is the Assistant Driver/Machine Gunner of the Medium Tank Fury. He is the newest and least experienced member of the crew. He was an Army Typist, trained to type 60 words a minute, not shoot bullets at an enemy. He starts off at odds with the more veteran crew, but he eventually earns their respect after he too hardens into a veteran and experienced fighter. When the crew make their last stand, Norman earns his nickname after taking large chugs of alcohol before the fight. He is also the only one to survive the stand, having been ordered to escape the tank alone. He is later found by a medical battalion. Fury |-| Main Gun = 76mm M1A1 Cannon *Penetration at 500 meters: 93mm *Penetration at 1000 meters: 88mm *AP and HE shells |-| Secondary Weapons = 1 x M2 Browning .50 *Rate of Fire: 600 rpm *Range: 1,800 yards 3 x M1919 .30 *Rate of Fire: 600 rpm *Range; 1,500 yards |-| Armor = *Front: 63mm at 56 degree angle *Side: 38mm *Rear: 38mm *Turret: 63mm All-round |-| Speed = *22-30 Miles per hour Tiger "205" (Company of Heroes) The five-man crew of Tiger "205" are hard veterans of the hard fighting on the Eastern Front, having made themselves a menace to Stalin's tanks. In fact, the crew has been in this same tank since late 1940. Their earlier history is relatively unexplored, and we pick up in 1944 at Villers-Bocage, where they single handidly destroy a convoy of Cromwells and Fireflies. They remain together until High Command splits them up. Crew Weapons |-| Mid-Range = MP40 *Weight: 8.75 lbs *Cartridge: 9 x 19mm Parabellum *Rate of Fire: 550 RPM *Muzzle Velocity: 1,312 ft/s *Feed System: 32-round magazine |-| Sidearm = Mauser C96 (Used by Voss) *Weight: 2.5 lbs *Cartridge: 7.63 x 25mm Mauser *Muzzle Velocity: 1,394 ft/s *Feed System: 10-round magazine fed by stripper clips Luger P08 (Carried by everyone else) *Weight: 1.92 lbs *Cartridge: 9 x 19mm Parabellum *Muzzle Velocity: 1,114 ft/s *Feed System: 8-round magazine |-| Explosive = Model 24 Stick Grenade *Weight: 1.3 lbs *Filling: TNT *Fuse: 5 Crew |-| Commander = Hauptman Maximillan Voss Hauptman Maximillan Voss is the Commander of the Heavy Tank "205". While it isn't explored, it is heavily hinted that Voss is a veteran of the Cavalry charges of the First World War, who was called by the Fatherland to fight for them once again. He joined an SS Panzer Unit, and fought in the invasion of Poland, the Fall of France, and the Eastern Front before he and his crew were assigned to Villers-Bocage. They take out an entire British Convoy before their track is destroyed by an AT Gun. Voss and his crew evacuate, and somehow manage to fight their way through the British back to friendly camp. After going back in a new Tiger, and then retaking the town, Voss and his crew are split apart by the German high command. Voss is given a rapid promotion to Major General and takes command of Kampfgruppe Lehr. There, he leads that unit through Operation Market Garden, and surrenders in 1945 to the advancing Allied Armies. He then retires to West Germany. |-| Gunner = Sergeant Joseph Gunter Schultz Sergeant Joseph Gunter Schultz is the Gunner on the Heavy Tank "205". While his major past isn't explored, he has been serving with Hauptman Voss since France. He serves with Voss in Villers-Bocage, where he uses his expert gunnery to target specific weakpoints on enemy tanks. When the German Senior Command splits the crew up, Schultz is promoted to Hauptman, and get's to lead his own Tiger crew. He fights to hold back the invasion of Normandy (seen in the Original CoH campagin), where he pilots his Tiger to kill Captain MacKay. He soon almost wipes out all of Able Company's armor, but Able Company convinces an Armored Division to help them, and soon a M26 Pershing rolls in with it's 90mm cannon and plows Schultz and his tank sky high, killing him and all his crew. |-| Driver = Senior Private Arno Schroif No canon image available Senior Private Arno Schroif is the Driver of Heavy Tank "205". He is argueably the least serious and most playful member of the Tiger Crew. He is a veteran of France and Russia alongside Voss and Schultz. He is constantly making jokes and telling stories, and most of the other crew members say he'd marry the tank if he could, as he is constantly cooing and coaxing it to do things for him. After the crew is split up by Senior Command, he is redeployed to Holland. |-| Loader = Private Alfred Litzke No canon image available Private Alfred Litzke is the Loader of Heavy Tank "205". He is the quietest member of the crew, but he is also probably the most fanatic of the crew as well. This shown when the track had blown off, and when retreat was suggested, he vehemently denied wanting to take part in anything involving running away. He is a veteran of France and Russia alongside his crewmates. |-| Radio Operator = Private Dieter Berndt No cannon image available Private Dieter Berndt is the Radio Operator of Heavy Tank "205". He is only crew member we do not recieve much information about, but what we are given is that he is a veteran of France and Russia, and that he also operates the Hull Machine gun and controls the S-mine launcher. Tiger "205" |-| Main Gun = 88mm Kwk 36 *Penetration at 500 meters: 110mm *Penetration at 1000 meters: 99mm *AP and HE rounds |-| Secondary Armament = 2 x MG34 *Rate of Fire: 900 rpm *Range: 1200+ meters |-| Armor = *Front: 100mm *Side: 80mm *Rear: 80mm *Turret Front: 100mm *Turret Side: 80mm *Turret Rear: 80mm |-| Speed = 28.2 mph Notes #I apologize for the lack of X-Factors. I was in a time when I had to run. #Crew is just one edge, you don't have to compare each crew member side by side. Just the entire Crew a single edge to save you the time. Category:Blog posts